


Softer Than Water

by ErinBocca, yakisoba13



Series: The Adventures of Thor and His Mermaid Boyfriend [1]
Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: En Dwi isn't a bastard, First Kiss, Kiss Kiss Fall in Love, Loki and Thor Are Not Related, M/M, Mermaid Loki, This is literally all fluff, Tiny bit of Angst, Young Love, theres no OHSHC in this but that tag tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-06
Updated: 2018-06-06
Packaged: 2019-05-18 21:27:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14860607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErinBocca/pseuds/ErinBocca, https://archiveofourown.org/users/yakisoba13/pseuds/yakisoba13
Summary: Being called up to babysit his eccentric uncle's pet didn't sound that exciting to the young Asgardian Prince, but Thor soon finds out that Loki is far more than just some pet.Thor finds himself utterly entranced by the blue being, wondering just how deep into the water he was going to fall for the merman.





	Softer Than Water

**Author's Note:**

> They're technically teens, but nothing beyond gentle kisses are gonna happen so. Mmm.
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoy ♥

En Dwi Ghast wasn’t a man you really could say ‘no’ to. His queer mannerisms and strange quirks were part of what made him rather endearing, even though he was kind of an ass. So when he said he was going on a trip and that Loki would be staying and his nephew would watch him, Loki couldn’t exactly say no.

 

Loki watched from his large pool as En Dwi, or Endy, as he called him, bustled around, going over a list and reading it aloud to the little blue being who just waited in the cool pool for the man to calm down. Not that Endy ever lost his cool- no, that was very, very rare. 

 

“I don’t understand why I  _ have _ to have a babysitter, Endy.” Loki pouted from his spot, cutting off the older man’s train of thought. Endy turned, looking at him with a pitiful smile. “I’m serious! I’ll be fine on my own here.”

 

Endy smiled and sat down at the edge of the pool, his hand coming under to hold Loki’s jaw gently. 

 

“My little pearl-” Said the older man, his expression and words kind. “We both know that isn’t true. You are much too demanding and will get bored easily. I’ll be gone for only three days and Thor is a great kid.” 

 

Loki pouted, moving back into deeper water, his red eyes piercing as he dove under, his thick, deep black tail splashing water onto the man, showing his feelings regarding the situation. Endy sighed, waiting to see if his little sea creature would resurface, but Loki seemed pretty content with pouting deep down in the pool. 

 

The man got up and left, closing the door to the pool room (‘room’ being a very loose term here as it was more of an entire house devoted to it, but was attached the the eccentric man’s mansion). The main door bell rang and he let out a satisfied noise, wringing his hands in excitement, running down the stairs to greet his nephew. 

 

“Come in, come in! Let your uncle see how big you’ve gotten- oh... Oh, my, my, my, my, my- Thor- someone let you into the gym, didn’t they?” En Dwi gasped at seeing the massive bulk of his nephew. The blond grinned as they embraced. “Was the trip okay? I know some of the space jumps to get here are a bit rough, but uh.... Well, come! Let’s take your bags to your rooms, and then, uh, let’s see if Loki is willing to come out and play.” 

 

Thor nodded with another grin and followed his uncle to the room the blond usually stayed in when he came to visit from a few galaxies away.    
  
He had to ask En Dwi a few times to clarify when he called Thor asking if he was free to babysit, genuinely worried his eccentric uncle had a real living child running around his massive house.    
But was surprised on an entirely different level when he was told it was something he had acquired during his collecting.   
  
Or rather,, someone.   
  
Thor had again worried En Dwi had trafficked someone, but was assured over and over that that hadn't been the case either.

  
Aside from that, the man had been rather vague about the whole thing and seemed absolutely giddy to introduce them.   
  
Thor had barely set his small suitcase down before his uncle was dragging him back down the long twisting hallways. 

  
Through several large rooms...to a pool?   
  
Thor cocked his head when Endy stopped at the doorway and smiled eagerly, gesturing for Thor to go ahead. 

  
Still mildly confused, but even more curious, Thor walked forward to the large mass of water. Only when Thor was by the edge did his uncle call out.   
  
"Loki! Don't be shy, come say hello to Thor."

 

Loki still very much upset, but the gargled, watery words reached him even in the depths of his pool, so he slowly swam up, hiding behind a carved inlet that decorated the pool. Endy noticed him right away and coaxed him out. 

 

Diving back below, Loki swam and surfaced at the edge, startling the blond teen who had been looking in the water by surfacing a mere inch or two away from his face. He giggled and Endy laughed, but still gave him a disapproving look. 

 

“He’s barely more than a child himself.” Pouted the blue creature, wiggling up and out of the water, sitting back as he slid his thick, shimmering black tail along the cool pool tiles. He left his fin below, for it was delicate and he didn’t need the teen to step on it. 

 

“Don’t look at me.” Loki hissed, baring his teeth at the stupid kid. 

 

“Now, now, little pearl-” Endy shushed him, looking rather distressed. “We both know you’re still technically younger than Thor, and while I’m gone, you must listen to him. He’s a nice kid, my little pearl.” 

 

The creature pouted, red eyes glistening as they looked from the man to the kid. 

 

“Did you even  _ tell _ him why you’re abandoning me for two days?” Loki asked, his voice full of hurt. Endy looked to the side and murmured something along the lines of ‘gay orgy booze cruises don’t happen this far out in space this often’ and shushed the blue creature again. 

 

Thor was still on his ass, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape at the being in front of him.   
A mermaid.   
His uncle had bought a godsdamned mermaid.    
  
His skin was blue, adorned in pale lines that sunk down to the ink black scales at his hips, and the long elegant tail that seemed to shimmer  despite the color. His red eyes were brighter than rubies, and fell on Thor again.   
  
Thor had never seen a creature like him, and was struck with utter fascination at his sheer beauty.    
  
"Uhm....hi.-" Thor said, realizing only after he spoke how dumb he sounded, so he shook his head and cleared his throat to try again.   
  
"Hello Loki, it's a pleasure to meet you," he finally said.

 

Shyly, Loki drew his hair over his shoulder, pretending that was much more interesting. 

 

“Hi Thor.” He greeted meekly, a little thrown off by how nice Thor's voice was. It was deep for someone so young, and that was very nice on the mermaid’s little finned ears. Endy mistook Loki's shyness for being actually upset and he embraced his wet little pet. 

 

“You know I would never abandon you, right?” He asked softly. Loki nodded into the embrace. “You are much too dear and much too precious,  my little pearl.” 

 

The creature nodded, then kissed the man's cheek softly before sliding back into the pool, careful to not splash the landwalkers with his fin as he dove back down into the depths. 

 

“Let's give him a little privacy, hmm?” Endy suggested, motioning for his nephew to follow. “He's scared of being left behind again. Gods knows what happened, but your other uncle, uhh, my brother, found him in the hull of a trader’s spaceship. Loki was sick and almost dying. So, er, my brother- my brother, he gave him to me to take care of.” 

 

They left the pool room and Endy began going over Loki's schedule. 

 

“He's uh, a bit demanding and has got a mouth to match.” Laughed the man. 

 

Thor couldn't help but chuckle a little. He'd only met the merman for a few very brief minutes, but he was already eager to know as much as he could about the timid blue thing.   
  
"Really? He was so quiet," Thor glanced over his shoulder to the closed door. "Are you sure it's a good idea leave? He seems really attached to you." The young Prince looked back to the grey haired man who was just smiling, again mentioning something about seizing an opportunity.    
  
" Uncle," Thor chided, though the smile hadn't left his face.  "What if he doesn't like me?"

 

Endy let out a snort.

 

“Nonsense, Thor. Everyone loves you.” shushed the older man.

* * *

 

Loki was laying on the sloped entrance into the shallower part of the pool. Endy had left within an hour of Thor’s arrival and the little creature was pouting.

 

Thor had by now finished settling into his spare room by now, honestly not really taking the time to set anything up before he was already walking down the halls back to the pool room. He had to at least try to take his excitement, hoping Loki wouldn't keep retreating into the depths of his pool.   
  
Thor knocked on the door before entering, walking in and happy to see the blue being had come back to where Thor could see him.    
  
" Hey," he greeted again with a smile, noting the unhappy look on the younger's face. "Don't worry, he will be back before you know it." Thor plopped himself down in front of the merman, giving a good three feet between himself and the water for now. But it didn't really stop the Asgardian from staring. 

  
"In the meantime, I'm sure I can be a good enough distraction?"

 

Loki looked down, at his fingers that were resting in the water. The pool had an engine at the very far side which spun a motor create waves for the creature, and the water was nice and cool. 

 

“I...” Loki started, but he looked up at Thor shyly. “If Endy doesn't come back.... Will you stay?” 

 

Thor was a little taken off guard by the question, but he remembered his Uncle's story of how Loki got here.

  
He was afraid of being left alone again.    
  
Thor gave him a warm smile, tentatively reaching out to touch the tip of Loki's hand, hoping it was reassuring as he spoke.

  
"Loki, you don't ever have to worry about being left alone. I promise."

 

Loki looked down at the tan hand that had touched his. Endy’s skin was much softer than Thor's, but the creature found he didn't mind the roughness. Curiosity overcame him and he tugged the kid towards him rather easily, holding up his hand and looking at it more closely. He put his palm flat against it, and could feel thor's heartbeat and his emotions- he was a little scared by the sudden pull. Loki let go apologetically. 

 

“Why aren't you dressed to swim?” He asked.

 

" Swim?" Thor stared at him blankly for a moment, still tingling from the touch. Loki was so smooth, his skin cool like the water, but the younger had pulled away from him too fast to get more than that.    
  
Thor glanced down at himself. He hadn't actually brought anything for swimming, not really having expected any of this.    
  
But, if he was going to be keeping Loki company, then the water was the best place to start building his trust to the blonde. He could just strip down to his underthings.    
  
Which is what he did. 

  
Thor stood up and took off his traveling clothes, acutely aware of those red eyes watching him as he rid himself of the last few layers.

 

Loki sat back up on his tail, “on his knees” as Endy called it, and flopped backwards into the pool, twisting around and swimming out. He looked at his palm, and recalled thor's confusion over him. Only Endy and some of the staff of the house had seen him since his arrival. And while the creature liked Taneleer, he didn't want to see him for a long time. 

 

So he supposed he should be grateful for Thor being his caretaker.

 

“I'm sorry for scaring you earlier.” Loki apologized, looking like a scolded child. 

 

Thor cocked his head slightly as he half kicked his clothes into a pile before walking towards Loki's pool.    
  
But he laughed warmly when Loki looked up at him.

  
"Oh! You didn't scare me, I just wasn't expecting it that's all." He assured the merman, hoping his genuine happy energy would help bring Loki out of his sweet timidness. "It takes a lot more to scare me."   
  
He stepped into the water, shivering at how cold it was. Honestly it felt a little refreshing after the long trip, and if only to further assure Loki that Thor wasn't upset over any of it, he splashed into the water with a grin.

 

Loki swam around as he watched the landwalker kick and use his arms to follow him out towards the deep end. It was pitiful, what they called swimming, but Endy had told him it was the best they could do. If the creature attempted walking it would be pitiful too. But Thor was tempting him. 

 

Loki dove under and swam down, his skin and tail made it almost impossible to see him against the black tiles of the pool. Endy had customized it to loki's specific liking when he took him in. With a bit of magic, money, and threatening persuasion, his pool had been built in two weeks and now Loki loved his room. There were tunnels deep below that connected him to the river, but Loki preferred to stay inside. 

 

He could tell Thor was trying to look for him, but he stayed down deep, and then reached out and grabbed his foot. He could hear the surprised shriek even from the depth he was at. 

 

Resurfacing, he grinned at the frightened teen. 

 

“I don't think it takes a lot.” Loki said, a shit eating grin on his face. 

 

Thor's eyes were wide as he caught his breath. But, instead of yelling at at the merman, Thor belted out a laugh and splashed Loki.    
  
"Aw that's wasn't fair," he complained, swimming a half circle around him. "You're sneaky." He couldn't help but smirk at Loki's mischievous expression, as Thor hadn't expected it at all.    
  
"Besides-!" The blond said with confidence. "I'd still consider that being startled." He splashed him again when Loki turned to face him entirely.    
Thor was a strong swimmer, but nothing had prepared him for how fast Loki was. He had seen just a flash of those ruby eyes before he was dragged down, but that had quite literally been it.

 

“Should I really scare you?” Loki asked, and swam closer. “Because I can. You'll run away like all other landwalkers. Except Endy. He's too stubborn.” 

 

He dove down and didn't resurface for several minutes, taking his time to observe Thor. The teen was going under the water every once in a while, but he couldn't hold his breath for long. When he was out of water, Loki would use his lungs, but underneath, he used his gills and could stay under infinitely. 

 

“How old are you?” He asked, as he came up, and saw relief on Thor’s face. “Endy said you're older than me.” 

 

Thor smirked at the way Loki's long black hair fell over his face, making his eyes seem to almost glow behind the dark strands.    
  
"I'm 923 years old." He replied, watching as the younger circled Thor, barely making a ripple in the water. "Well old enough to travel on my own. Or to be scared off by a few pranks." Thor had inherited stubbornness from his family line. En Dwi was hard to sway but Thor's brash youth made him a wall.   
  
Thor's eyes traveled the skin he could see above the water, and saw the pale blue lines seemed to be slightly raised and Thor had the urge to touch them.   
  
"What about you, Loki? How old are you?" Thor gently reached a hand out, fingers gliding along Loki's shoulder.

 

The touch thrilled him and he liked how Thor let his fingers trail along his skin till Loki moved out of reach. 

 

“900.” He answered simply, moving back into the vicinity of Thor’s reach again. “I've only been in a spaceship twice.... Did you pilot one on your own here?” 

 

Jealousy burned inside of him when Thor tilted his head and said the ship was his own. He moved out of reach of the teen again and dove underwater. It wasn't a contest, but Loki wished he had something nice like a spaceship. Endy might get him one if he asked, but what use would a waterlocked creature have for something like that? 

 

Coming back up, Loki looked at Thor. 

 

“Do you play video games?” He asked, stayed out of reach this time. 

 

Again Thor was surprised by the question thrown at him, seemingly out of the blue.    
  
"You mean like the old ones uncle keeps?" Thor had been introduced to the electronic games a few times, but while he had learned quickly how to handle the controllers, it had also been a long while.   
  
But the thought of pulling them out and having someone to play against brightened the smile that was already on Thor's face.

  
"I definitely play. But.." The young Asgardian wasn't exactly sure how they could play together.

 

Loki smiled widely and dove under the water, swimming towards a tunnel. Then he paused- it would be cumbersome to have the teen get out of the water and walk into the next room. Swimming back up, he looked at him curiously. 

 

“Do you think you can trust me?” He asked, shyly peaking out from under a curtain of inky black hair, red eyes glinting. 

 

Thor was transfixed for a moment, caught by those pretty eyes. 

  
But he cleared his throat and smiled.    
  
"Of course I trust you." It was a question that seemed random to the young Prince but he chalked it up to more of Loki's possibly insecurities of the people around him. Thor honestly couldn't blame him after the story uncle told him.

 

Loki smiled, then grabbed his hand and eased him toward the tunnel. Loki took a deep breath, filling his lungs, which indicated Thor should too. After a moment, Loki tugged him underwater and swam slowly, holding his hand- once he had tried to swim as fast as he normally did with Endy, but that had hurt the man's shoulder. He didn't want to do that to Thor too  

 

The tunnel was close, but Loki felt Thor tug on his hand urgently. He slowed and pulled Thor close, bringing the soft human skin up his body. Holding him close, he put a hand on his face, and brought their lips together, working his tongue inside of the others mouth to create a tube to give him air. 

 

Thor was startled by the kiss, his hands going to Loki's shoulders in surprise, and was even more surprised when he could feel the air being transferred.    
  
He breathed out through his nose and gasped through their kiss, able to take a full breath.    
Loki tasted subtly sweet, and his tongue was cool like the rest of him when Thor couldn't help but brush his own against the merman's.   
  
Thor tilted his head slightly to deepen the connection, allowed to take another deep breath before he forced himself to pull away. Even in the darkened waters, Thor's cheeks turned red.

 

Loki didn't linger, and continued to swim, going slightly faster as the transference of air was different than he had anticipated. Endy didn't like it when he did it, but it seemed Thor didn't mind... 

 

They resurfaced in a shallow pool, which was surrounded by cushions and a large tv. Several towels and a bathrobe laid on a chaise nearby the slope. Loki looked at Thor, whose face was entirely red. Perhaps from a lack of oxygen? 

 

“I'm not allowed to turn on the tv and the game console.” Loki pouted. “Endy doesn't want me to get electrocuted.” 

 

Thor seemed to remember himself, shaking his head slightly before looking around the cozy room.   
  
"Oh yeah, no that would be a bad idea," Thor chuckled as he got out if the water and grabbed a towel. He probably shouldn't tell Loki he was a god of thunder.   
  
After having sufficiently drying off and giving Loki a smaller one for his hands and hair, Thor went to the tv and switched it on, along with with console. Everything had already been set up and it seemed that Loki and his uncle might have played a few times before.    
  
Thankfully the controllers were wireless, and Thor took them and sauntered back over to where Loki had been wringing out his hair and drying it with the towel.    
  
"How often do you get to play?" Thor asked as he settled himself down next to the merman.

 

Loki was settled on the slope, leaving the majority of his tail in the water, to prevent it from drying out. 

 

“Not as often as I would like... I don't like playing alone.” Loki said, watching eagerly as the tv turned on. He used his controller to go to the downloaded games library, sighing as he waited for it to load. To use their console, Endy had to set up a hacked Midgardian Wi-Fi signal, and it took longer than what they were used to. Finally, the games popped up and Loki went through them, showing Thor his favorites. 

 

“This one is a magic one... I like it a lot.” Loki said, letting the cursor rest on one. “Oh! And this one is a racing game. It's got a fat plumber and a weird mushroom in it.” 

 

Thor laughed as the picture showed by colorful characters throwing various things at their opponents. 

  
"This one!" Thor declared and Loki entered the game. They were met by music that fit the art of the game and Thor really couldn't help but immediately love the game already.   
  
After a very brief tutorial of how the controls worked, they were set to a character selection screen where Thor picked a mustached character which appeared to be wearing a raccoon suit.    
Loki chose a very stylized looking ghost for his character, claiming it to be his favorite for navigating the levels.   
  
They were tossed to the course selection, and while Loki was flipping through to start Thor off on an easy one, one caught the Asgardian's attention immediately.   
  
"Oh! They have the rainbow bridge on here!"

 

“I hate this stupid bridge.” Loki muttered, but Thor seemed to enthralled by it. “You won't like it.” 

 

But that didn't deter him and so they were watching as the countdown began and-

 

“Fuck!” Loki jumped as the Asgardian next to him cursed loudly, and it continued as they kept replaying the level over and over again. He caught some dark mutterings from the teen along the lines of “Heimdall wouldn't allow this” and “ _ my _ rainbow bridge doesn't do this”.

 

Loki paused the game and looked at the glowering teen. 

 

“Uhm, Thor? What are you, exactly?” He asked. 

 

Thor had cursed again, mistaking the pause screen for having fallen off the damned bridge again for just a brief second. But he turned and looked at Loki, cocking his head again. 

  
"Hmm?"   
  
Loki repeated the question, and the smile that had been absent during the digital competition returned. 

  
"Oh- I'm an Asgardian." Thor briefly wondered if Loki knew of Asgard at all. "I'm from Asgard, one of the Nine Realms of Yggdrasil."

 

“I don't know what any of that is.” Loki stated plainly. “Weird.” 

 

He turned back to the game and unpaused it, giggling as Thor fell off of the bridge again.

 

They played for a few hours, switching between games. Thor seemed to really enjoy the racing games, but was easily confounded by the first person shooter games, claiming there was no victory if it wasn't a real battle. 

 

“Why does it have to be real? It’s just for fun, Thor.” Loki said, and looked at him with a strange look on his face. “You're a weird guy.” 

 

"I'm weird?" Thor mocked exasperation. "Its more fun if there's reason for it! Or at least there's honor in winning a battle. This is just..." He gestured to the screen. "Like practice without the actual practice." He laughed, leaning back on the plush pillows.    
  
"On Asgard, fighting is not just a pastime. It has to mean something more than just, digital points." But Thor shrugged. War was part of his culture, so fake fighting really did feel pointless.

 

Loki looked at him, and raised his brows. 

 

“Do you actually  _ kill _ people?” He asked, disgusted. The game suddenly had no more appeal to him, and he wanted nothing to do with it. He put the controller down and slithered back into the water, rehydrating his thick, blue skin and wetting his eyes. Maybe those games were fun for people who hadn't considered violence to be so real... that those things could happen. Loki didn't think he was one of those people anymore. 

 

“I'm done playing.” Loki said, slipping back under the water, and swam through the tunnel. He wanted to think. 

 

"Loki-" but the merman was already gone beneath the waters. The Asgardian was beyond confused, having clearly upset the younger but not really understanding how.    
  
He looked back go the screen where both of their characters had died and let out a long sigh, standing up to turn the console off.

* * *

A few hours later, Thor looked at the time. He had visited back to the pool room a few times, but Loki never resurfaced, only managing to pick out his eyes from the dark water before they disappeared again.   
  
But it was time for supper, and while Loki was perfectly capable of finding his own meal in the river, En Dwi had insisted that Thor eat with him as the company over food always felt richer.    
  
That, and En Dwi always had Loki's favorites on hand, just to spoil his little blue pet, and Thor had taken it upon himself to bring their food into the pool room.    
  
"Loki..?" He called out for what must have been the 5th time to the merman. "I've brought supper... would you come eat with me?"

 

Loki was lurking beneath the surface. He had been for some time now, and he  _ was _ hungry. He could see Thor had a tray stacked full of fruits and by the smell, he could tell there was raw, fresh sliced fish on the platter too. 

 

Slowly, the creature broke the water, moving his wet hair out of his face. Thor smiled at him and was seated at the edge of the pool, his feet dangling in the water. Loki swam over, and heaved himself out of the water. He twisted his torso, and leaned over the pool, wringing his long, wet hair over it. The teen was staring at him the entire time and Loki let his hair fall, blocking his peripheral view of him. In a bowl was his favourite- a seaweed salad and he took it, using his fingers to eat the slimy strands. 

 

“Do you eat the people you kill?” Loki asked. 

 

If Thor had taken a bite of his own food, he might have choked.    
  
"Eat them??" Thor looked slightly horrified as he set his fork down. "No, I have never eaten an enemy." He said the last part with a slight laugh, but it was less out of humor than it was incredulous.   
  
"Most of the time they are left on the battlefields so their own people can lay them to rest as they see fit."

 

Loki tilted his head and continued to eat his seaweed. 

 

“But.... Then why do you kill? If I find a fish, I kill it and then eat it. When I was little, a water snake attacked me. It was my enemy, but I killed it. And then I ate it. Why wouldn't you do the same?” Loki asked, his mouth scrunched up weirdly. “Do you... Go into battle just to kill?” 

 

Thor understood the first question suddenly, his shoulders relaxing a little bit and he picked his fork up again.    
  
"It’s not exactly that simple." Thor explained, realizing the merman had no concept of their history or anything of the like. "Our kingdom is the protector of the other realms. My father, Odin, has sworn to protect the peace of all the people inhabiting these worlds, and at times that means war."   
  
Thor glanced up at Loki, eating a small piece of fruit. "When I was a child, Jotunheim, the land of frost giants, were trying to destroy the people of Midgard, the world of much smaller and weaker beings called humans. Our armies came to their aid to put an end to those who would kill innocents."   
  
Thor watched Loki, who listened intently as Thor spoke. "So.. while yes, we do go to the battlefield for the purpose of killing, we do not because it is fun to do so."

 

Loki listened, and nodded. It made sense, he supposed. 

 

“So... You don’t eat them?” He clarified and Thor laughed and said no. Loki made a face and continued eating the seaweed, often grabbing a grape and combining the flavors. “Okay... Well, I think it’s stupid to kill because you’re mad. I know it must be more complicated... But, that means you’ve killed then, right? For... For honor?” 

 

Thor nodded, and Loki let out a laugh.

 

“I don’t understand it. I think I’ll stay right in my little pool if that means I can avoid this idea of honor.” The creature looked at the teen beside him. “Endy said I’d like you, but he said nothing of your strange customs.”

 

Thor laughed at that as well, taking a bite of bread. Explaining his 'war customs' would probably need to be done over a few conversations, but he let it go for now. At least Loki didn't think he was a psycho that just enjoyed killing.    
  
"Was he right?" Thor ventured to ask, leaning back on his arms, hoping the conversation hadn't put the sheltered merman off to the older man.

 

“About what?” Loki asked, then looked at Thor, and noticed how the teen’s eyes traveled up his body. “Oh... About liking you?” 

 

The Asgardian nodded. 

 

“Mmm...” He tilted his head, and looked through the curtain of black hair, using it to mask the movements of his eyes. They followed his legs up from the water, to his muscular thighs, and then to his bare chest. They slid over toned arms, and up a thick neck. 

 

Yes. Yes, he was sure he liked him. 

 

“I do.” 

 

Thor grinned even wider, the merman's answer actually relieving a little tension in his shoulders.   
  
Usually Thor never worried if someone liked him. If they did, fantastic, if not, then it wasn't his problem. But with Loki, the blond had found himself searching for that approval.   
  
Thor turned himself so that he was facing more towards Loki. Unlike the merman, Thor didn't hide his open staring, eyes traveling down Loki's lithe body to the slick scales of his hips and tail. The lines that marked his upper body melted away from their pale blue to an almost invisible green that continued down the length of the tail.   
  
Loki was beautiful.   
  
"Tell me more about you Loki. Where did you come from?"

 

“I don’t know.” Loki answered. “I don’t remember a lot of my home... I remember my... ‘mother’... That’s the word, right? The one who birthed me. I remember a bit about him.”

 

Endy had been confused when Loki tried to explain it, but then said ‘it’s all Greek to me’, which Loki didn’t understand either. So it really was all ‘Greek’ to him. 

 

His mother was strong, and tried to protect a little Loki.

 

Thor looked just as confused as En Dwi had, but unlike his uncle, Thor pressed for answers.    
  
"..He?. You, surely you mean she, as in the one who birthed you?" Was that an offensive question? Thor didn't know, but his curiosity was outweighing typical conversation manners.

 

“No...” Loki answered slowly. “My mother was a he. Just like I am.” 

 

But then he realized that perhaps that was not the case for all species, yet the scales on his tail clearly bristled with some anger at the idea of being called a female. 

 

“Females of my kind do not carry nor birth the offspring from their eggs.” Loki clarified. “That much I do know. My mother told me I would one day do the same thing, that one day I would receive eggs from one of our females and carry them until they were ready to be born.” 

 

Thor's mouth was slightly agape. Surprised. Astonished. Amazed. He didn't know what he was, maybe a combination of all three, but it was utterly fascinating and he couldn't help when his gaze dropped to Loki's stomach.    
  
Thor had never heard of any type of males carrying children, had never even considered it a possibility but, then again, it wasn't like merfolk had ever been studied like that.    
  
"Loki,. That's amazing." Thor finally found his voice again. "I'm sorry- I didn't mean to offend," he quickly added when he noticed Loki's scales raised just a little. "It's the complete opposite for Asgardians."

 

Loki tilted his head and consciously covered his stomach when Thor’s gaze dropped down to it. 

 

“I don’t know much about my kind, but I do remember my mother telling me that.” Loki said, almost pouting. Much of his time alone was wondering about his mother, and if he was alright. “I was kidnapped before my sibling was born, and that’s when my mother explained how we were born. I never got to meet it...”

 

He looked out at the pool, and wondered if it was a boy or a girl, and how tiny it was when it was born. 

 

If maybe his mother loved it more than he loved Loki.

 

He shook his head and looked back at Thor.

 

“I wish I knew what planet I was from.” He sighed wistfully.

 

Thor didn't miss the fleeting look of sadness that crossed Loki's expression, and he wanted to banish it.   
  
"..I could try to find out." Thor suggested, getting an idea. At Loki's unreadable look, Thor continued. "On my world, we had a guardian that watches all the realms. He is how we know if there is a war to be fought."    
  
Thor scooted a little closer to Loki. "He can see where ever in the universe he turns his gaze. Maybe... Maybe he could help find your mother and sibling?"

 

Loki looked at him, and a smile quirked at the corner of his mouth.

 

“Really? Do... Do you think he can see that far?” Loki asked, and grinned when Thor replied that he thought it might be worth a try. “I... I would really appreciate that, Thor.” 

 

The Asgardian scooted a bit closer, and Loki dared to touch their fingertips, smiling at the warmth the landwalker gave off. It wasn’t unpleasant... In fact, it was rather nice.

 

“Are... Are you my friend?” Loki asked, tilting his head, moving his hair out of his face. Thor made a face at him and Loki quickly added, “I just... I’ve never had a friend before.” 

 

A small smile came to Thor's face, softer than the ones he'd given before.    
  
"Yes.. We are definitely friends."  There was a tension between the two, but it wasn't bad like in the game room. This felt softer, more tangible. And Thor glanced down at Loki's plush blue lips.    
  
Taking a risk, Thor leaned forward and kissed Loki, pressing their lips together gently.

 

Crimson eyes widened at the pair of soft pink lips pressed against his own, but then, slowly, his eyes closed and he pressed back. When they parted with a slight sound, Loki opened his eyes to see half-lidded one staring into his, and he couldn’t help the smile that came to his face.

 

Nor the burning he felt rise up to his face.

 

With a little squeak, he slid into the water, swimming far down to a small area he had decorated for himself. A large mirror stood and Loki looked into it, almost convinced he was on fire- no... He was  _ blushing _ . He tried to compose himself, and slowly resurfaced, shyly looking at Thor several feet away in the water, tucking most of himself behind the same decorate inlet he had when he first saw Thor that morning.

 

Thor had been looking for Loki in the water, but the slight movement caught his eye and he saw that Loki was half hiding from him.   
  
"Loki- I I'm sorry," The Asgardian had mistaken Loki's sudden departure as indignance, and he berated himself with having been far too forward with the merman.    
  
Thor could have sworn he felt Loki kissing him back, but, maybe it had been imagined.

 

Loki dove, and appeared, this time between Thor’s legs. With a mighty swish of his powerful tail, he pushed himself up further of the water, catching Thor’s mouth his own. Instantly, he felt strong arms around his waist, hoisting him out of the water. Against his mouth, Thor grunted as he lifted the creature out and sat him on his lap, for Loki was very heavy. 

 

They continued their kiss, mostly shy little pecks, but Loki buried his face in the Asgardian’s neck when they parted.

 

“That’s not what friends do, Thor.” He murmured against the warm skin.

 

The small chuckle started in his chest and rolled upwards into a heavy laugh.    
  
"No... I suppose not." Thor threaded his fingers through Loki's silky black hair, marveling at how soft Loki was.   
  
"...Can we be more than friends?"

 

The burning blush came back to his face, and he shyly nodded into Thor’s neck. 

 

“Yeah... Yeah we can.” 

**Author's Note:**

> And YES, this will be a series of oneshots. Erin and I will be working on them when we have time in between longer fics or when we need a break and wanna write fluff. Sadly, this means we cannot guarantee when or how often this series will be updated. BUT- it is definitely something we are excited about!


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